Firewhiskey
by dracopoetaytoe
Summary: A collection of shorts involving Sirius and an OC. Haunted by her demons, surviving through her memories, and living by a thread, Lyra Alcor attempts to settle into her new job, protect Harry Potter, mend her relationships, and forget the man with the sad, grey eyes. Who is Notorious Mass Murderer Sirius Black, if not the man she loved?
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This story is a way for me to flex my writing muscles. As of right now, there is no real plot, just little snippets of Lyra and Sirius. Some parts may not be consistent with the book, as it was inappropriate for me to take these parts word-for-word and just insert Lyra into them. Bear with me - when I get enough written and learn how to take the jumbled ideas in my brain and connect them to create a logical sequence, I promise I will post a true story. I would love any and all constructive criticism. Thank you.

I do not own Harry Potter.

* * *

Lyra climbed laboriously onto the glorious red vehicle, lugging her trunk behind her. She knew no one, and was not inclined to start up a conversation with someone and make friends. Soon, the train began to move. Lyra, now panicking, walked down the corridor, looking into compartments, hoping to find an empty one where she could curl up with her book and be alone. No such luck. All seemed to be full.

Except one. A shaggy-haired boy sat in a compartment alone, staring intently at his wand as he twirled it between his fingers. Lyra took a deep breath and walked in.

"Hi," she said slowly. "Do you mind if I si-"

"Leave," the boy said curtly, not bothering to look up.

Lyra's eyes went wide. "What?" she asked quietly, shocked that one could be so rude.

The boy looked up lazily. For a moment, Lyra found herself lost in his intense grey eyes. Too old, too mature for one so young. He stared at her for a moment, perhaps wondering if she was mentally incapable, then repeated, "This compartment's taken, so leave."

Lyra continued to stand before him, her mouth slightly open and her eyes filling with tears._ This_, she thought,_ is exactly why I don't talk to people._ Slowly, she reached down and struggled with her trunk, and attempted to shuffle out of the compartment when an angry, red-headed girl stormed in.

"Where's your stupid friend?" she thundered.

The boy rolled his eyes and shrugged. He looked so utterly bored.

"You tell him that he's a complete arse! Give Sev's book back or else!"

"I don't have your greasy friend's book."

The fiery girl gave a loud huff of disgust and aggravation. She flung her hair back and turned to leave, and in doing so, saw Lyra standing there stunned.

"Oh, hello," she said kindly, all traces of her anger gone. Her eyes traveled to the large trunk in Lyra's hands. "Leaving? Smart choice." She glared at the boy, who had gone back to examining his wand.

Lyra nodded shyly, looking down. "Yeah," she said quietly. "Though I've got absolutely nowhere to sit," she mumbled afterwards.

The other girl managed to catch this, and said brightly, "Oh, come with me! Sev and I've got plenty of room in our compartment. I'm Lily, by the way. Lily Evans. What's your name?" She held out her hand.

Lyra took it slowly, noticing that the black-haired boy had looked up at hearing the girl's question. "I'm Lyra," she said with a small smile.


	2. Chapter 2

_Harry Potter._

The name rung in her ears. She found it difficult to concentrate on the bespectacled man speaking before her. Her eyes turned glassy.

_Harry_, she thought._ Lily's Harry. James. Oh Merlin, how I could use a-_

"Do you understand, Lyra?" Dumbledore's voice suddenly came into focus as she heard her name. She shook herself out of her reverie and realized that the other teachers were staring at her. Her eyes moved back onto the concerned man who repeated: "Professor Alcor, do you have any questions?"

"No, Albus," she answered shakily. Not many of Dumbledore's words apart from the boy's name had registered themselves in her mind. Her head spun and her stomach turned.

The old man sighed, knowing she had not paid him much attention. "Thank you, everyone," he said to the room. "I realize this must've been a bore to many of you, but our new Muggle Studies professor needed a brief debriefing." He chuckled and pushed his glasses further up his crooked nose before continuing. "This meeting is over. Professor Alcor, I wish to speak to you privately - do kindly remain seated." A shuffle of movement ensued as the others left the room.

Lyra looked up into his unyielding blue gaze. She knew what was coming, and did not want to think about this now. "What is it, Albus? I really should go prepare, what with tomorrow being the first day-"

"You and I both know that is not the reason you are scrambling to leave, Lyra," Dumbledore interrupted sternly, then sighed. "You're still doing this, my dear? It has to stop. Yes, you will see the boy tomorrow, and yes, you will be coaching him part time with Remus. Going to your office and drinking yourself to oblivion will solve nothing."

She looked away bitterly. _Oh fuck, that's right...Remy...damn it, must everything be thrown upon me now?_

She trained her eyes back onto Dumbledore, almost glaring now. "Is that all you wanted to speak to me about?"

"Unfortunately not. As I'm sure you've heard, Sirius Black has escaped from Azkaban and is looking for Harry."

Bumps erupted all over her body and she shuddered, not going unnoticed by the old man. She felt the bile rise in her throat. _Stop it_, she told herself firmly._ Stop doing that. Kill the bastard when you see him, simple as that._ Try as she might, however, she could not stop the memories from flooding her head; Sirius, with his playful grin, his shaggy black hair, and the sadness in his stormy eyes...

She wanted to slap herself.

"I want your word, Lyra, that you will do your best to protect Harry. Sirius Black is not the man you once knew. I want your word that you will place Harry - and now Remus, also - before him always," Dumbledore went on.

Lyra fought back a new wave of nausea, one caused by disgust. _The bloody idiot thinks I'd go running right back into his arms and beg him to take me, does he?_ But she could not lie to herself, and another part of her thought:_ Oh yes, because you certainly weren't just thinking of the time in the-_

She stopped that thought in its tracks and replied quickly. "Of course, Albus. Now, you must excuse me, I really must go get prepared." A flash of something that resembled frustration crossed Dumbledore's face as she got up and left the room swiftly. He sighed.

* * *

Lyra slipped into her office and pulled the door shut behind her. In a daze, she walked over to her bed and reached under it, pulling out a tattered leather box. A wry smile twisted across her face as she tugged off the lid and saw the familiar bottles shining in the dim light. She chose a large bottle encased in a thick covering and popped it open. Not bothering with a glass, she brought the firewhiskey to her lips and took a large swig. The long-awaited burn of the drink seared down her throat and she lay down on her bed, gulping down more, being lulled into the release she so desperately needed.


	3. Chapter 3

Severus Snape was an odd boy. When Lyra followed Lily into their compartment, his eyes widened and he looked away quickly. Then, when Lyra introduced herself and extended her hand, he simply nodded curtly and half-whispered "Severus," without ever looking her in the eye. Lily seemed to think nothing of his behavior - or rather, chose to ignore it.

Lyra, however, had had quite enough of rude behavior for the day. If Severus Snape was going to sulk (and sulking he certainly was - sitting there, his body tight, and glaring out the window, only exchanging a few words with Lily and doing his best to ignore Lyra), then so was she. She crossed her arms and legs and looked stubbornly out of the window. Lily, frustrated with the behavior of the two, finally decided to intervene.

"What's the matter with you two?" she asked, attempting to the best of her eleven-year-old abilities to solve the problem. "Why aren't you talking? Do you know each other from somewhere?"

Severus Snape said nothing.

Lyra however, huffed and exclaimed "No! I've never met him before in my life and then I come and sit here and he bloody ignores me and doesn't even look at me and it's really just not helping because I don't know anyone and the boy in the other compartment was so horrid too..." she trailed off and sniffed, wiping at the sudden tears in her eyes.

"They're terrible, I know. Just earlier, they were in our compartment and they made fun of Sev," Lily grumbled.

"Oh, the boy in the other compartment came in here with his friends?" Lyra asked, her self-pity lost in her peaking interest. Severus was quite glad at the change of topic.

Because Severus Snape, as it turned out, _did_ indeed know Lyra from somewhere.


End file.
